18th Nov 2009, 00:41

Poster of the original article here. I see what you guys are saying about the oil consumption. But Mitsubishi has always, from what I have read and heard and been told by the Mitsubishi dealer, had rather crap valve seals and they do use a bit of oil. The car has now done 53,300km and I can say now, the oil consumption has not got any worse. When I say oil use, I'm talking a millimetre on the dipstick, it's an extremely low amount of oil consumption, as is expected from a Mitsubishi V6.

9th Mar 2010, 05:46

Just an update from the original poster here. The car has hit the 62,000km mark without a single glitch, and touch wood stays that way for a lot longer.

I have driven it pretty hard also, and it performs faultlessly. I will advise however those who plan on driving enthusiastically to fit an auxiliary transmission cooler to preserve the life of the gearbox.

As far as the oil consumption goes, it has not used any oil during services worth mentioning, and I do get it serviced every 8-10,000km as opposed to 15,000km like the books suggest.

I have had fitted the bigger factory intake with a K and N filter, and a less restrictive muffler, and it exhibits a nice snarl without being loud or intrusive. These simple mods have also improved fuel economy, and given her a bit more up and go.

7th Jul 2010, 02:19

Have just completed a 3k+ trip in my 2007, 380 VRX. It certainly was easy driving. For the journey, I did stay within speed limits and made good use of the cruise control and climate control (a very helpful feature up here in Queensland).

Based on speedo readings and servo litre readings. Distance on speedo when checked against the 5 k speedo checks here in Queensland was accurate. Average fuel consumption 9.16 l./100 k. Best fuel consumption for 447 k. 8.24 l. / 100 k. (average speed about 90 KPH due to numerous trucks and caravans).

Am interested in adding a transmission cooler, any recommendations as to make/type, size and placement?

21st Aug 2010, 10:28

Considering a 380 as a replacement for my 2001 Magna Advance, so was interested in the comments regarding oil and cooling.

We have test driven a 2007 ES Sports versus a 2008 Aurion, and the 380 is by far the better handling and riding car of the two. The power is very similar in both cars, but the 380 stood out.

Our car has 162,000, never uses oil, has one set of brakes replaced, a starter motor, and a fuel gauge switch. It is a wonderful car to drive, especially on a trip where it easily returns 7.8 to 8.2 litres/100k. Our best was a trip to Sydney with the AC off and being careful, we got 6.8; incredible. With the AC our previous best was 7.6.

Very pleased to see the comments, we will be looking for a nice one to buy.

16th Nov 2010, 19:13

Original poster here! Car has now done 83,000km without a problem. Had the gearbox flushed at 79k, a bit before the recommended 90k, but boy am I glad I did it, something tells me the dealer I had the 45k service at didn't flush the gearbox properly, and when I flushed it out, it was rotten! Extremely dirty, but now it's smooth again.

Also, the rear main seal is beginning to leak, but it's extremely minuscule, so I am not too worried about that.

With regards to transmission coolers, I have not actually fitted one yet, haven't had the time, but I can say most universal coolers will do.

I recall a few blokes saying PWR (the ones for the V8 Commodores) will more than do the trick, most mechanics will have no troubles fitting it for you, and the cooler itself can be picked up for around $100. Good value if you ask me, but as I said, only if you're an enthusiastic driver.

Well I am still as happy with my car as the day I bought it! I'll report back just after the 90k service.

6th Feb 2011, 22:07

Original poster here again. Not sure if people even read these but I'll continue to update!

Had the 90k service done last week, everything went well. The car is running perfectly still, no creaks from the interior and she still pulls like a freight train, also uses almost no oil as I mentioned in earlier posts. Bought a ute for work so the 380 will be sitting in the shed a lot more now.

2nd Mar 2011, 07:56

Hi guys.

Bought the 380 III, platinum edition on the 1st of Dec 2010, first ever car, saved for quite some time, and must say a pretty bargain (similar/less spec'd cars in my (rural QLD) city were ridiculously overpriced)

Since it is my first car in AU (previous experiences included 1.3's CITY and a 0.8cc Cuore... *pause for awe), sheesh can this thing pull, the car's done 62000 (for a 2008 model that's a fair bit) and yet for the life of me, cannot complain on anything, interior rattle, equipment.

I agree with earlier comments, if you don't drive with a lead-foot, this thing avg.'s on the 91RON a good 12.1 (aircon) in the city. Some highway driving on bringing it back from Townsville on the Bruce highway, resulted in figures like 10.1-11.2 (aircon and no cruise control till I hit Bowen, :P that's when my wife figured out how to engage the cruise control..., and this was me trying to achieve/outrun a particularly fast semi (which surprisingly was keeping up with the 380 at 100Kph... or as it says on the speedometer...))

CONS, quite wide (hey I drove a mid 90's first gen, Honda City, and a SSRG Surf Hilux (Japanese import), wide turning radius, a bit of thought process and stutter when engaging from neutral (? what you guys call a kick down/up), found out in 2 months about the boot lid's button (you won't believe the curses Mitsu + the car endured :P for my ignorance).

You might realise from my comments I am not a techie as far as cars go... I have scuffed the alloys (against the kerb) and have concerns regarding the earlier (fleet) services.

Could you help a bloke out and tell me.

What should I be looking into for getting a proper service done (like type of oil, air filters, spark plugs, gear oil), can be done by Mitsu. if you advise, or if you can tell what equipment, then a private mechanic too.

Any idea on the optimum tyre pressure for this thing in terms of fuel efficiency + saving the suspension?